Category: Cooking

Anya’s 2nd Birthday Cake

This year, I made a parsnip cake for Anya’s birthday tea.

  • 175g butter , plus extra for greasing
  • 250g demerara sugar
  • 100ml maple syrup
  • 3 large eggs
  • 250g self-raising flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp mixed spice
  • 250g parsnips , peeled and grated
  • 1 medium eating apple , peeled, cored and grated
  • 50g pecans , roughly chopped
  • zest and juice 1 small orange
  • icing sugar , to serve
  1. Heat oven to 180 C.
  2. Grease 8″ round cake pans and line the bases with baking parchment.
  3. Melt butter, sugar and maple syrup in a pan over gentle heat, then cool slightly.
  4. Whisk the eggs into this mixture, then stir in the flour, baking powder and mixed spice, followed by the grated parsnip, apple, chopped pecans, orange zest and juice.
  5. Divide between the cake pans. Bake for 25-30 mins until a toothpick inserted into the thickest part comes out clean.
  6. Allow pans to cool on a wire rack for ten minutes.
  7. Turn cakes out of pans and set on wire rack until completely cooled.

This cake is topped with mascarpone (250g tub) mixed with a little maple syrup (3 tbsp).

 

Tofu Bánh Mì Chay Recipe

Ingredients:

One 14-ounce package extra-firm tofu
1.5 cups of shredded carrots
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons palm sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
Sriracha sauce
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1.5 teaspoons black pepper
Fresh baguettes (
English cucumber, shredded

Method:

1. At least one day before you plan to make the sandwiches, cut the tofu into slices and pat dry. Freeze the tofu overnight, then thaw it in the refrigerator. Once it has thawed, squeeze it dry again.

2. Combine the carrot, 2 tablespoons of the vinegar, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and a large pinch of salt in a medium bowl; cover and refrigerate while you prepare the other ingredients.

3. Whisk together the oil and a few drops of Sriracha (personal taste how much) in a small bowl.

4. Put 1 tablespoon of palm sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook, shaking and swirling the pan occasionally (but not stirring), until the sugar is mostly melted and golden brown. Slowly drizzle in the soy sauce, then add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the thawed tofu and the black pepper and cook, turning the tofu occasionally, until it has absorbed most of the sauce, about 15 minutes.

5. Split the baguette horizontally with a bread knife.Spread the Sirachah mixture on the bottom half of the baguette, and top with the tofu mixture, the carrot mixture, and the cucumber.

Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup

Ingredients

  • 1 loaf French bread (~16 ounces)
  • 8 large eggs
  • 1.5 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1.5 cups milk
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Dash salt

Directions

Slice bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup, fresh fruit, and fresh whipped cream.

 

Anya’s 1st Birthday Cake

I spent a lot of time picking out what to make for Anya’s first birthday cake — chocolate doesn’t seem like a good thing to feed a little kid. I wanted it to have flavor — not just eating sugar. I found an old fashioned gingerbread cake recipe that looked perfect — a lot of the sweetness comes from molasses. Anya likes pumpkin puree spiced with ginger and cinnamon, so it’s a familiar flavor. Plus it’s cake 🙂

 

Gingerbread Cake

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup softened butter
  • 3/4 cup dark molasses
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup boiling water

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F
  2. Grease and flour an 8” round cake pan
  3. Sift together dry ingredients in a large bowl.
  4. Add the butter, molasses and egg and beat by hand for two minutes.
  5. Add the boiling water.
  6. Beat for another two minutes and pour batter into prepared pan.
  7. Bake 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the thickest part comes out clean.